Behind the scenes: Chuck and John argue over what the Celtics should do

Sometimes, Chuck and I get into heated behind-the-scenes debates over the Celtics (among other things). They often devolve into wild leaps of logic, exaggerations of each others’ arguments, and name-calling. Today, Chuck decided he wanted to pull the trigger on some kind of trade. I have been steadfast in my belief that while the’re no guarantee things will work out with this roster, it’s our best shot at a turnaround.

What you have is a conversation that lasted nearly two hours over Google chat. After each of us tweeted about it, people asked to see it. So here it is.

My apologies for the formatting. It’s a little scattered, but I think you can follow along with it.

9:14 AM Chuck: as the Lakers continue to suck… do you think the odds of landing Gasol for Green/Bass improve?

won’t those forwards fit D’Antoni’s system perfectly?

9:27 AM me: who backs up pierce

9:28 AM Chuck: kris joseph

Ainge finds somebody

9:30 AM me: at a time when you argue pierce is done you’re okay with just somebody backing him up

9:31 AM Chuck: only because Jeff Green contributes once every 3-4 games…

9:32 AM Sullinger makes Bass worthless… so I’m fine with that…

maybe we move a guard for a wing… Lee?

9:33 AM I think I’d rather keep Lee than Terry.. but I doubt anyone is taking JET

9:38 AM me: So do you think Green/Bass are enough for LA to be convinced to give up Gasol?

Chuck: Probably not… but they seem more desperate than Boston right now

9:39 AM that deal doesn’t work salary wise anyway

9:40 AM me: right… because Gasol makes, what 19 million?

Chuck: yup

me: isn’t he the highest paid player in the NBA this year?

Chuck: kobe must make more

me: oh yeah

just looked it up.. $30 million

jesus

9:41 AM Chuck: i like the thought of Pau and KG playing together the next two years

9:42 AM me: the reality is you’d need to trade pierce or Rondo to get that deal done financially

and they have Nash… so….

Chuck: or Lee

or Terry

9:43 AM me: LA can only take so many players back

they have a full roster

Chuck: 3rd team

me: oh, that makes it easier

Chuck: naturally

me: it’s not happening

9:44 AM Chuck: hurdles aside… would you make the move for Gasol

me: yeah, if it involved guys that suck for us right now

but that’s like asking “hurdles aside, would you want $500,000″

Sure…

9:45 AM Chuck: please… Bass and JG get us close

if Danny can trade bags of shit for Lee… he can make that deal happen with other teams

I agree with Chuck that Danny can bring Kris Jo or some random SF to backup pierce in a trade that sends Green out. I don’t like his contract!

wil333

with Lou williams out, the atl might want to continue rebuildong their team rather than continuing.

Me

everyone knows he is not the answer

Randy West

Guys,

Other people know that the Celtics roster is full of trolls who just signed bad long-term contracts. Who wants Jason Terry for three years? Who wants Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, or Brandon Bass for four years? NOBODY!!!!!!!

Only way this team makes a decent pick-up is by surrendering Pierce or Rondo in a deal. PS – We’ve reverted to the days of the “Plan,” when Ainge made mystifying move after mystifying move on the basis of some abstract design that came to fruition only when Kevin McHale betrayed the Timberwolves by giving us Garnett. Get ready for some middle-of-the-pack fun for the next two seasons.

Curt

This post will serve as documentation that John was right all along and will be linked to countless times after the Celtics make it to the NBA Finals next June.

KGino

John really did kill Chuck in this conversation.

Rondo for Gortat & Dragic? What are you smokin’.. haha.. and 100-1 odds we get a top 4 seed? I’ll gladly bet you a dollar Chuck.

John is right.. there’s no point in making a trade that will make us slightly better. It is unrealistic to think we’re getting any sort of blockbuster trade if we don’t move rondo or pierce.

We need to stand pat, make a minor move like Bass for Dalembert (similar salaries).. and hope that this team can flip a switch come playoff time. Worry about blowing it up in July.

Me

no bass, for timofey mozgov

Me

bass for timofey mozgov

Reggie35RIP

Yeh I agree with some sort of minor move to get a big. A blockbuster deal will be too disruptive and I can’t see a decent option for us.

Me

we dont have any pieces untill next years sign-in trades

Verde17

I believe D12 doesn’t want to be a laker! So check this out, Bass is a midrange shooter, we’ve seen that green can hit his 3’s and I think that Jason terry would fit the mike D’Antoni system perfectly. Now we would need a SF to back up pierce, why not go to Detroit and try swap Lee for Tayshaun Prince, Detroit need a quality shooting guard and prince isn’t winning a championship in Detroit any time soon. And after you do all of that you call Delonte West from the D-League to back up AB! So three team deal, LA gets terry green and bass Detroit gets Courtney Lee and maybe Ebanks whos been glued to the bench for a while and BOSTON GET D-CLOWN AND PRINCE!!
Just let me dream ok!!!!!!!

Curt

While it would make me sick to think we’d cooperate with the Lakers for anything other than Bill Walton…your idea does work even without Ebanks.

I know it would work without Ebanks but LA would need to make a roster spots since they have a full roster, that’s why added D Ebanks

Curt

Okay, cool. The point is that it works. Do you want to email it to Danny or should I?

Verde17

You do that Curt!!!

Me

i don’t really know if it helps but trading bass for a center is ok mozgov + randolph

Me

we don’t need injured dwight

KGino

Dwight & KG would not work together. Just sayin’

Celticsfanatic

Chuck threw out bogus deals because he’s frustrated with the team and John’s too optimistic for the same reason he said NOT to be the other day: he’s using history as an easy way to show that “this Celtics team” can perform a miracle. I think the answer lies within both your arguments but neither of you touched on it: if the Cs continue to stumble for the next ten games, cash KG, Pierce and all other contracts not named Rondo/Bradley/Sullinger/Melo for picks, up and comers and expiring deals.

RedsLoveChild

You are today`s “voice of reason”.

Keep the 4 guys you mentioned…gut the rest of the roster for the best assets they can bring in return.

Living in the past is fine, as long as you keep in mind that there is no future in it. For those who do want to go there…fine, simply pop in the 2008 Finals DVD.

KGino

First off, KG can’t be traded. Not because I don’t want him to be, but because it literally says so in his contract.

Second of all, the market is terrible right now, especially for our group of players who are playing SO poorly. Who are you guys planning on getting in return for Pierce, Lee, JET, Bass, Green? Surely not someone who makes us a contender right away?.. If so, keep dreaming.

It doesn’t make sense to gut the roster mid season.. It won’t put us into a free-fall for a good lottery pick, and it won’t make us go further in the playoffs. I’m not okay with finishing in 9th or 10th in the East. That does us NO good.

Might as well retool a little on the fly if possible.. trade any of the aforementioned players not named Pierce for a 3 point shooter or a big who can rebound and defend, make a run into the playoffs, get Sully & AB some playoff experience (and maybe even Melo, but he needs NBA experience in general.. I’m not convinced that he’ll be a cornerstone center yet anyways unlike most C’s fans), and do the gutting in the offseason.

eddysamson

Why does everyone keep forgetting about this dude called Fab Melo? Hes gotta be better than Collins at this point in his development. Guaranteed to be offensively, maybe not quite there defensively but he will make up for it with huge block numbers.

Why the hell should we force a trade in this shitty trade market with our shitty trade assets for some big to come in and save the day when by the time spring hits Melo will be potentially NBA ready and come in and make an impact…